Islamophobia in the Mainstream Media

On the 10th December, while adding posts to our Facebook Page, we came across a post stating “Muslims were in the streets of London protesting for peace. Stay away from the mainstream TV and research the alternative media online.”

We had already shared this article here about Islamic groups around the world condemning terrorist attacks, so we started searching online for an article about this very important demonstration that had supposedly taken place.

We started searching with DuckDuckGo because we prefer to use search engines that choose not to track everything people do, and after almost half an hour of searching, we came across just one video:

This video from Press TV News, London, was published on December 7th, 2015, and before publishing our article here which brought attention to the video, it had only reached 274 views.

But the video provides no date, so it was not clear exactly when the procession was. In the end we turned to a Google search for more information about this event.

Shockingly, after another 30 mins searching, we could only find FOUR articles, two of which came from the same national newspaper, The Mirror (source and source), one from independent online magazine Unilad (source), and one from the actual organizers themselves. (source)

The demonstration, it turns out, took place on December 6th, and is organised every year by the Husaini Islamic Trust UK. According to their website, it is the “largest annually organised Islamic event in Europe.”

Mohammed Al-Sharifi, a part-time activist and regular volunteer at The Husaini Trust, told Unilad: “We are trying to undo people’s misconceptions about Islam – this is a multi-faith event and we are trying to promote universal human values.”

Mohammed is also involved in the #NO2ISIS official Facebook page, which has gathered over 17,000 likes since the terror group first came into being.

He said: “I’ve never met anyone who is pro-ISIS. 99% of Muslims just want to lead peaceful lives; you know, have a coffee with friends. This is the message we want to get out there.”

3000 people marched to promote peace and condemn ISIS — yet not one single mainstream TV media outlet covered the event.

In a time when Islamophobia is on the rise all over Europe (source), hate crime against British Muslims is reported to have risen by 300% (source), and the Muslim community worldwide fears that this will lead to victimisation in the same way that the Jews were persecuted in 1930s Germany (source), it is completely disingenuous and irresponsible of the mainstream media not to report this event.

Whilst the UN demands that the UK government, media, and regulators start respecting national and international laws on curbing incitement to hatred (source), ISIS use the image of a Kurdish boy whose dead body has washed ashore and lies on a beach to suggest that refugees fleeing Syria will meet a Europe that is intolerant, unwelcoming, and dangerous for Muslims. (source)

The message that the mainstream media is propagating about the Muslim community is supporting this claim from ISIS.

We have to spread the message of peace and turn people to independent media sources for the truth about what is going on.

We must encourage people to turn off the TV and stop listening to the fear-mongering media that support war for big business profits.

And just in case you think that linking the media with the accusation of brainwashing for profits sounds like an Orwellian conspiracy theory, here is what the mainstream media really want you to do:

So what do you think?

Why is the mainstream media ignoring pro-peace Muslims, and where could we turn to instead to get fair, impartial journalism?